Animated figure toy



Sept 28, 954 R, Zg

- ANIMATED FIGURE TOY Filed June 13, 1952 /I//J//A INVENTOR @maa/da Kann/.ra

ATTORN EY Patented Sept. 28, 1954 UNITED STATES ANIMATED FIGURE TOY Romualdo Camuso, Irvington, N. J., assignor to The Lionel Corporation, New York, N. Y., a

corporation of New York 1 Claim.

This invention relates to animated gure toys and is more particularly directed toward animated iigure toys adapted to simulate the operation of a watchman in moving from one position to another and in the second position simulating the swinging of a signal lantern.

The present invention is particularly suited for employment in toy railroad accessories of the type which have a house or watchmans shanty with mechanism for moving the watchman in and out of the shanty through an open doorway, and according to the present invention devices are provided which eiect a sudden swinging of the watchmans arm from hanging position to elevated position at the end of the outward stroke of the watchmans shifting mechanism.

The present invention is shown here as employed in the type of animated gure toy shown more fully in Bonanno application, Serial No.

239,681, filed August 1, 1951.

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustrating the present invention, one embodiment in which the invention may take form, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

ln the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the animated figure toy showing the toy house with the door open;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section through the toy house with the door closed;

Figure 3 is a front View of the toy house with the watchman in retracted position, in section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional View on the arc -i of Figure 2 and the plane 4 4 of Figure 5;

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the watchman taken in the direction of the arrow 5 of Figure 4.

As shown in the perspective view of Fig. 1, the animated ngure toy has a base l0, a house Ii with the door I2 in the doorway or door opening, and a toy figure or manikin simulating the gateman or signal man. The device simulates the gatemans shanty alongside the usual railroad track.

As shown in the drawings, the base l is, for convenience, a rectangular shaped sheet metal member with downwardly extending flanges l5. It supports the toy house Il. The door E2 for the toy house has an upwardly extending pintle I6 entering into the recess in the top of the doorway of the toy house and has a pivot post i'i which passes down through an opening in the base It. The lower end of the pintle Il carries a molded plastic gear member I8 with a lower flange l 9 preferably somewhat larger in diameter than the outer diameter of the gear.

The base lil carries a pivot post 20 some distance beyond the other edge of the doorway. This pivot post carries a sector shaped arm 2i having teeth 22 which mesh with the teeth of the gear IB. The lever arm 2l is similarly held in place on pin 2G and also against separation from the gear i8 by the flange i9. The sector arm 2i carries a post 26 which extends up through an arcuate slot 2l in the base and carries a manikin or gure I3 above referred to.

The arm 2| is biased to the position shown in full lines in Figure 2 by a spring 28. When the parts are in this position, the figure or manikin is inside the toy house and the door of the toy house is closed. The base I@ also carries a solenoid coil 30 having a magnetizable plunger 3i whose free end 32 bears against the edge 33 of the lever arm 2l, The mechanism carried in the base i0 is covered and protected by a bottom cover member 3l.

The right arm it of the manikin is hinged at the shoulder and operably connected to a wire rod or lifter 4| which extends down through a guide hole i2 near the manikins feet. The lower end i3 of the lifter is bent as indicated at lli. It is brought against a cam i5 bent out of the material of the base i0 and rides up this cam during the forward stroke of the mechanism and swings the arm from the lower full line position of Figure 4 to the upper or dotted line position of this gure, so that the lantern 46 is displayed more effectively. It swings viom lently when the mechanism comes out of the shanty.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other forms and constructions within the scope of the claim, I wish it to be understood that the particular form shown is but one of these forms, and various modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

A toy comprising a toy house having a doorway, a base supporting the toy house, a door pivotally supported by the base and the top of the doorway near one edge thereof for swinging outwardly, a gear carried by the lower door pivot below the base, a toothed sector meshing 'with the gear and pivoted to the base beyond the other edge of the doorway, a spring acting on the seetor to hold the door closed, a post extending upwardly from the sector and passing through a slot in the base partly behind the doorway and partly in front of it, a manikin carried on the post and movable through the doorway when the sector moves the door open and retreating into the building-V wherr the door c1oses the manikinl having a swingable arm, a lantern carried by the' arm, an operator for the sector to move it against the spring to open the door and advance the fig,-

ure, a xed cam element past which the manikn moves near the forward end of its movement, and a follower engageable with the cam and yconnected to the arm on the manikin to lift the arm and swing the lantern.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,502,010 Banks July 22, 1924 2,138,367 Bonanno Nov. 29, 1938 10 2,496,725 Hotcaveg Feb. 7, 195o 2,551,545 Parsons May 1, 1951 

